Moving Forward
by chidori-blossom237
Summary: After the Promised Day, Al has his body back, but Ed loses his arm again. Winry's feelings for Ed begin to show, but a gift from his father may bring more pain than happiness.
1. Chapter 1

**AUTHOR NOTE: ****Okay, first off, I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist. That's Hiromu Arakawa. This is my first fanfic for FMA, so hope it's alright. It's based after the Promised Day, but with a few twists. For one thing, Hughes is still alive! He was too awesome a character to leave out. So I've twisted the plot a little to keep him in. There are other changes, but they will be explained in the actual story. Anyway, I haven't decided if I will continue this. So it will depend on if I get any good feedback. But yeah, hope you enjoy and please review. Constructive critasism is welcomed, but no flames!**

**Moving Forward**

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There was a thick blanket of snow covering the small mountain town of Resembool. It was the first fall of winter, and already proving to be a harsh one. Standing at the kitchen window, Winry looked out at the thick blanket. From what she could see of the garden wall she could tell there was over a foot of it. And it was still coming down. A wind had been blowing for a few hours now, causing the snow to drift across the fields. It was now perfectly smooth. Nothing had crossed it yet.

The blonde girl sighed and finished washing the dishes. Her granny, Pinako, was down in the workshop, busying herself with finishing an order of auto mail for a customer. The little woman hoped to have it done within the next few hours, so she could make her journey across town to deliver it before the weather got any worse. A storm was brewing, making Winry worry all the more.

"Winry?" A voice asked from behind her.

Turning round, the girl saw dark blonde hair and light brown eyes. A slightly strange appearance if she was perfectly honest with herself. While the boy before her reminded her so much of his older brother, he was still so different. After being trapped in a suit of armour for so many years, he now seemed to have an air of innocence around him that had never been there before. Winry smiled. It made him look so sweet.

"What is it Al?" She asked, moving around the kitchen, putting the dishes away.

The younger Elric brother moved in from the doorway and headed for one of the chairs to sit down, his body still a little weak from his recovery. He'd only gotten his body back a few months ago after all.

"Do you know when brother will be back?" Al asked her, sitting down.

Winry paused, her eyes once again drifting over to the window, and the weather outside.

"I don't know." Was her honest reply. "Hopefully soon though."

She fumbled with the last plate in her hands, carefully putting it away once she'd recovered. Al's eyes lowered to the tabletop. They were both on edge.

One month ago, not long after managing to get Al's body back, Ed had been sent away on another mission, this time to the huge country of Drachma. He hadn't been very pleased, especially with General Mustang, who had been the one to send him. But unfortunately, Ed was still a dog of the military, and so he had to follow orders.

Winry and Al had no idea what the mission had been about, as Ed had been rather vague with the details, as usual. What they did know was that he was going to Drachma and would probably be gone for about two weeks. Well, it had been a month now, and in typical Ed style, he had failed to send them a letter, or even bothered to pick up the phone and call them to say how he was doing.

"_Typical Ed."_ Winry through irritably, finishing cleaning round the sink. _"It wouldn't hurt to just assure us he's alright every once in a while."_

Dumping the cloth she'd been using back in the sink where it belonged, Winry headed through to the living room, where her tools were scattered on the floor. She'd been in the process of cleaning them when Pinako had asked her to do the dishes. Al followed her through and sat down next to Den on the floor.

"I'm sure brother meant to call." He tried, in hopes of cheering his friend up a little. "But you know what he's like."

Winry couldn't help but roll her eyes. "Yeah, you can say that again." She sat back down and resumed cleaning her tools. "Typical Ed."

Al chuckled and picked up a discarded Alchemy book.

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A solitary figure trudged slowly through the heavy snow, relieved to finally be passing under the sign for Resembool Village. The cruel winds swirled around him, making his familiar red coat flap wildly behind him. Ed sniffed as he pressed on. His nose and cheeks were bright red from the cold wind, and his hair was wet and tangled. Small icicles had started to form on his bangs, and his clothes were soaked through. All in all, he felt terrible. The end of his left leg, where it met his auto mail, throbbed painfully in the cold weather, and what was left of his right shoulder ached too.

Ed wasn't exactly sure how long he had been travelling for now. But one thing was certain. The next time he saw Colonel…no… General Bastard, Ed was going to give him a piece of his mind.

He still didn't know why Mustang had insisted that he should go on the mission, and not someone like Armstrong, or better yet Hughes. It certainly would have stopped him from gushing over his daughter for a little while.

Smiling slightly, and regretting it instantly as his teeth hurt from the sudden exposure to the icy winds, Ed did his best to pick up the pace. He was looking forward to getting back home, even if it was to Winry with her traditional greeting of a wrench to his head. Al would probably give him a lecture as well, but at least he could count on Granny Pinako being normal around him. That is, if they didn't all gang up on him when they saw his injuries. Ed glanced down at his left arm.

His journey back had been anything but easy. Having to travel through the mountains, the boy had been given no choice but to scale the slippery winter rock face. And while his alchemy had helped him out somewhat, it had still been tricky.

At one point, he'd overestimated the strength of a ledge he'd been climbing down from, and it had given way under his weight.

Once again, alchemy had saved him from certain death, this time of falling off a cliff, but he hadn't come out unscathed. Ed's wrist was swollen pretty badly, though he was sure it wasn't broken, and his forearm had a nasty gash on it. So now it was wrapped tightly in a piece of his jacket that he'd ripped off, as it was already ruined anyway. He hadn't been able to do much about the cut on his forehead though, which was now giving him a rather nasty headache. He knew he was probably going to end up getting sick, but he really didn't care. He'd survived worse after all.

"_Just a little further."_ He realised tiredly, his steps already beginning to slow down as the snow got deeper. He could see the silhouette of his old school in the distance, meaning that he was pretty close.

"_Keep going."_

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Al looked up from his book as Winry stood from her position on the floor. "Something wrong?" He asked, a little concerned at her sudden movement.

"No." Winry told him. "I'm just going upstairs to turn the flashlight on again. That way, if Ed's coming, he'll be able to see it."

Al smiled. Winry had started using her old flashlight to call the boys home not long after their mother had died. Trisha had done the same thing for them, and since her death, when Winry had used the trick, it had always brought a little comfort for the brothers. Even though their mother and house was gone, the flashing light had proved to them that they still had a home here in this sleepy little town. A place to come back to and recharge their batteries when all their travelling got the better of them. Al had appreciated it a lot more openly than Ed, but Al knew his brother was glad of it too.

As Winry headed up to her room where she'd placed the flashlight at her window, Al glanced at the clock in the living room. It was almost 11 p.m. Surely Ed wouldn't be travelling this late at night, would he?

"_I hope he's not being careless again."_ Al thought worriedly. _"Ed does have a knack for getting himself into trouble."_ The window rattled as a particularly harsh gust blew past it, making Den lift his head from the floor.

"Looks like the worst of the weather is fast approaching." Pinako commented, walking into the living room.

Al looked round in surprise. "Granny. You're finished your work?"

Pinako sucked on her pipe and nodded. "Yes. I'll be heading out in the new few minutes."

Den whined quietly. "But…" Al gasped. "It's too dangerous! What if something were to happen to you?"

The little woman chuckled and shook her head. "Don't you worry about me Al." She assured him. "It'll take more than a bit of snow and ice to beat me. Winry and I have not long finished upgrading our motor sledge. I'll be over at my patient's house in half an hour tops."

Al still looked unsure, but sighed and nodded anyway. He knew there was nothing he could do to stop Pinako going. She was very set in her ways, and once she'd made her mind up, that was it. "Please be careful then."

"I will. Don't you worry." Pinako smiled. "I'll be back in a few hours." She walked out of the room again, calling upstairs to Winry that she was just about ready to leave.

Ten minutes later, Al, Winry and Den watched from the living room window as the motor sledge disappeared into the night, easily gliding over the deep covering of snow.

"She said she'd call once she gets there." Winry told Al as she shut the curtains to keep some of the heat in. "To let us know that she's safe."

"That's good." Al replied, sitting down on the couch. "I'll be up all night worrying otherwise."

"Me too…" Winry agreed quietly, petting Den gently. _"But I'm still worried about Ed…"  
_  
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"God dammit!" Ed cursed, slowly picking himself up from the snow. He'd tripped on something that was buried under the white blanket and landed face first into it, whacking his flesh knee painfully off what he later discovered was a rock. Now his trouser leg was torn and his knee was bleeding. Just what he needed right now.

"_It can't be far now, surely."_ He thought weakly, staggering to his feet and pressing onwards. But now with a rather significant limp, he was finding it difficult to push through the heavy drifts.

A cold shiver ran down his spine as the wind cut right through him, making his shake right to his very core.

"_Ugh… I am so gonna get sick after this."_ He thought, feeling miserable.

He trudged slowly through the increasingly deep drifts, beginning to wonder if he was still even going in the right direction.

"_If I get lost now, I'm dead…"_ Ed realized, starting to panic a little. He'd heard stories about people venturing out in blizzard conditions like this in the past, and never returning. That thought made him walk faster. There was no way in hell he was going to be beaten by a snow storm! He was the Fullmetal Alchemist for crying out loud. He'd done more than most in this world. He'd been through hell. He'd seen the Truth and opened the Gate with his bare hands. He'd lived through the Promised Day, managing to finally get Al his body back. So he'd be damned if a bit of snow defeated him now.

"Keep going!" He told himself aloud, willing his body to keep moving despite the protests from his aching muscles.

The storm grew worse, its merciless winds cutting through the boy like a knife. Ed's stumps hurt badly. The scarred flesh where the metal was connected was stinging and tender. Ed knew that he was now getting frostbite, and that made him worry even more. If he didn't get out of the storm soon, he would lose his ability to move his auto mail, and collapse in the snow.

"_Please tell me I'm close now."_ He stopped for a moment, looking up from where his feet were buried in the snow, and squinted into the blizzard. Was that…a light? Yes! Yes it was, at last. In the distance, Ed could just make out a small light, flashing on and off every few seconds. It was Winry's light, sitting inside her bedroom window. Ed breathed a sigh of relief and started walking again. He was finally home.

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"What is it Den?" Al asked, as the dog suddenly jumped up and ran to the door. "What's wrong boy?"

Den sniffed at the bottom of the door, before turning to Al and starting to bark.

"Den! Keep it down!" Winry yelled from her workshop. "How am I supposed to hear the phone if you start barking?"

The dog ignored her and continued to bark, wagging his tail and bouncing at the door. His auto mail leg clanked off the floor noisily as he moved around.

Al watched the animal for a moment, confusion evident on his face. But as Den jumped up and pawed at the handle, Al's eyes widened.

"Good boy Den!" He exclaimed, running over to the door and pulling it open. A strong gust of wind and snow instantly blew inside, hitting Al in the face.

"Al!" Winry yelled as she walked through. "What are you doing? Shut the damn door! It's freezing!"

Den scrambled out between Al's legs and the doorframe to stand on the front porch, and barked into the night.

"But Winry, look!" Al yelled gleefully.

Grumbling, Winry grabbed her jacket that was hanging by the door and pulled it on, wrapping it tightly around herself. She then peered out into the blizzard, looking for whatever Al had seen.

At first, all she saw was darkness and snow, nothing else. It was virtually a white out now. She could just make out the top of the stone wall as it was illuminated by a sudden blue light, but that was about it… Wait a minute. A blue light?

Squinting harder, Winry finally spotted a figure standing in the snow down the path. Her eyes widened and she gasped, before rushing outside without a second's thought. Thankfully, she'd already had shoes on.

"_Is it really?" _She thought, rushing down the snow covered track, stumbling in the deep drifts and nearly ending up face first in them. Her breath clouded in front of her, before disappearing, caught in the fierce winds that whipped around her body as she moved.

Behind her, over the sound of the blizzard, she could hear more scrunching of snow as Al and Den followed.

For a split second, Winry hoped that Al had put on a thick coat, as he was still a little weak from getting his body back, and she didn't want him to end up sick. But that thought was completely forgotten as she finally got close enough to see who the figure at the wall was.

"Edward!"

She latched onto the older Elric brother immediately, wrapping her arms round his neck and pulling him into a desperate hug. Tears appeared in her eyes, but she didn't let them fall. She was both relieved that he was home safe, but also angry with him for being stupid enough to travel in such bad weather, especially with his auto mail in such cold temperatures.

"You idiot!" She yelled over the whistling of the wind. "You idiot!"

She barely heard a breathy chuckle from the boy in her arms, and felt his trembling left arm wrap gently around her waist, returning the embrace.

"Brother!" Al called, reaching the pair with Den at his heels. Ed lifted his head from where it had come to rest on Winry's shoulder and smiled a little, before shivering badly.

The young mechanic pulled away from him then and moved to his side, putting an arm round him to help guide him back to the house.

"Come on. You're frozen. Let's get you inside."

Ed nodded tiredly and allowed her to help him, while Al took his brother's case that he'd been carrying. The younger Elric brother ran up ahead to the house, and waited for Winry and Ed to catch up.

"Watch your feet." Winry told Ed as they reached the first step. She'd pulled his auto mail arm round her shoulders, and from the weight that Ed was putting on her, she could tell he was exhausted.

Ed blinked, trying to clear his blurry vision as he slowly lifted his feet, one at a time, and made it up the stairs with Winry's help. He welcomed the feeling of warm air on his face as they finally got inside, and closed his eyes, hearing Al shutting the door behind them.

"Go stock up the fire for me please Al." Winry asked him. "And get some blankets."

Al nodded and hurried off to do his tasks, leaving Winry and Ed alone at the front door.

Sighing in relief, Winry carefully removed Ed's arm from round her shoulders, and after making sure that he wouldn't fall, slipped her jacket off and hung it up. She then turned back to the boy and pulled his jacket off from over his shoulders, carefully slipping his arms out of it. Ed opened his eyes and looked at her, slight confusion showing in his cloudy golden eyes. Winry smiled at him.

"It's soaking wet Ed, you can't keep it on." She told him.

Ed smiled at her again in thanks, and his eyes closed on their own. The next thing he felt was Winry, once again moving closer and wrapping her arms round him, pulling him close. Just as before, Ed let his head drop onto her shoulder, relieved when the girl didn't complain. Instead, Winry smiled and rubbed his back gently, trying to get some warmth back into him.

"You had me worried sick." She whispered. "Don't do that again Ed."

"…Sorry." Came the quiet reply.

Giggling a little, Winry pulled away, forcing Ed to lift his head. Their eyes met, tired gold and relieved sapphire. Winry blushed a little, but couldn't tell if Ed was too because his face was already red from the cold wind.

"You dummy." She said affectionately, brushing one of his bangs away from his face tenderly. "Welcome home."

Ed opened his mouth to thank her, but stopped when Winry moved away, heading for the stairs.

"I'll grab you some dry clothes." She told him. "So strip out of those wet ones before you go any further. Then I'll get you something to eat." With that, she disappeared upstairs and out of sight.

Ed blinked, his brain taking a few more seconds to work out what Winry had just said to him, before sluggishly obeying. By the time he had taken off his wet clothes, Winry had already passed by again, leaving him a pile of dry ones to change into, before she'd headed through to the kitchen.

As Ed pulled his clean shirt on painfully, hissing slightly as his arm wound was rubbed a bit, Al wandered back through with a warm blanket folded in his arms.

"Brother, are you alright?" He asked, concerned.

Ed looked at him and smiled tiredly. "Yeah Al. I'm-…" He broke off with a sudden cough, covering his mouth quickly with his auto mail hand.

Al sighed and shook his head, before moving over and wrapping the blanket carefully round his older brother.

"Come on." He coaxed, leading Ed through to the living room, and helping him sit down on the couch. He couldn't help but notice when Ed winced as he sat down. Al already knew what was wrong, and was prepared. "Your auto mail bothering you?" He asked gently, looking at the steel prosthetics that had become a part of his brother.

"A little." Ed admitted. "Frostbite I think. But my stumps hurt from the cold." Al nodded in understanding, feeling sorry for his brother. He leaned forward and reached into a bowl of water that was sitting on the coffee table. Ed blinked, only just noticing the bowl. From the steam rising up into the air, Ed knew that the water was hot. He sighed and closed his eyes, knowing what was about to come, and feeling relieved for it.

Water trickled back into the bowl as Al wrung out one of two cloths. Once finished, he folded it in half, before gently placing it over Ed's shoulder, where auto mail met flesh. This was to help with the frostbite, a trick Al had learned when he and his brother had first gone to Briggs. Ed winced again as the cloth was laid down, and Al watched quietly, before applying the same treatment to Ed's leg. Al was glad that Winry had thought to give Ed his usual shorts and vest to wear. It made things easier for Al. The girl probably wanted to look at Ed's auto mail herself later on too.

"Thanks Al." Ed mumbled, feeling his eyes begin to droop slightly as warmth slowly began to sink back into his body.

"You're welcome brother." Al smiled. "Now lie down and I'll see to your wounds."

Ed just nodded and slumped back into the couch, sighing in relief. He was dimly aware of Al moving away for a moment, then returning and sitting next to him again. A single golden eye opened as he felt his brother's warm had clamp gently around his still cold forearm, beginning to clean the flesh wound with an antiseptic wipe. Al glanced up at Ed's face for a moment.

"Sleep brother." He told Ed quietly. "You'll feel better. We'll wake you later for something to eat."

"Ngh…" Ed replied sleepily, closing his eyes again. Within minutes, his arm fell completely limp in Al's hold, as Ed gave in to oblivion. Al smiled at him and turned his attention back to the wound.

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The first thing Ed realised as he started to wake up was that he wasn't all that cold anymore. Instead, he was wrapped up warmly in blankets, lying on the couch. He could hear the fire still crackling away in the hearth, and feel it's heat on his face. His injured arm was tucked up against his chest instinctively, and from the tightness he felt around it, Ed knew it was bandaged. His wrist was too in fact.

The second thing Ed realised was that someone was stroking his hair, softly running fingers through his golden locks, which had been let loose from his braid. The touch was gentle and comforting, tempting Ed to just fall back to sleep. He almost did, until his stomach suddenly panged with hunger.

Frowning slightly, Ed let out a raspy moan, feeling his throat catch. He coughed a little, waking himself up further. He then tried to breathe through his nose, to save his throat, only to find that he couldn't. His nose was blocked, and it was then that Ed realised the dull pain in his sinuses, along with the headache that was starting to build in his temples.

With all of this, as well as the aches and occasional twitch from his body, Ed was able to work out through his groggy haze that he was sick.

"_Shit… I knew this would happen."_ He groaned a little and nuzzled into his pillow.

"Ed." Winry whispered gently in his ear. "Are you awake?"

The stroking of his hair had stopped, and now a warm hand was resting on his shoulder, just where his auto mail connected with his flesh. At least that didn't hurt so much now. The hot cloths must have done the trick earlier.

Ed let out a soft moan, which was supposed to be an answer. It was the best he could manage right now with the way he was feeling.

"Ed?" Winry asked again. She was sitting on the floor in front of the couch. She had been for over an hour now, keeping a close eye on Ed as he slept. "Hey, wake up."

She brushed a stray strand of blonde hair away from his face, smiling as his eyes opened somewhat reluctantly.

"Winry…" Ed croaked, blinking sleepily. The girl in front of him smiled warmly as she started to gently massage his scarred shoulder at the edge of his auto mail. Ed let out a quiet sigh, relaxing further into the couch. "Where's Al?"

"Upstairs." Winry replied. "He's reading. I told him to go and do something, to stop him from worrying about you. You've been asleep for almost three hours Ed."

Ed yawned and slowly pushed himself up into a sitting position. "Sorry. I was tired."

Winry rolled her eyes and smiled. "You don't need to apologise silly." She told him. "Just be more careful next time." Her expression then turned more serious. "But you're still an idiot! Why didn't you stop somewhere to wait out the storm? Travelling in weather like that was really stupid Ed, especially with your auto mail."

Ed looked away, blushing slightly. "I wanted to get home." He replied. "I'd been away long enough."

Winry gave him a funny look. "You've never rushed back like that before though." She pointed out. "You've been away for months on end before, without so much as a letter or phone call."

"Yeah, but Al was always with me."

"So you rushed back because you wanted to see Al?" Winry asked him. "He'll think you're stupid too for that. He already feels bad enough about not being able to go with you."

"Well, maybe it wasn't just Al I wanted to see." Ed said quickly.

Silence fell over the pair as they both looked away from each other, blushes appearing on their faces.

"_What did he mean by that?"_ Winry wondered, glancing back hesitantly at Ed. The alchemist was now paying close attention to the scars on his shoulder, obviously trying to distract himself from the situation.

Winry sighed and stood up. "You're an idiot, you know that." She told him, turning towards the kitchen.

"Yeah…" Ed mumbled in reply. "So you keep saying."

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General Roy Mustang looked up sharply as his office door was thrown open without warning.

"Roy! Long time no see!" Maes Hughes yelled from the doorway, waving cheerfully at his friend who was almost hidden behind his mountain of paperwork.

Roy suppressed the urge to throw something at the other man. "Hughes. Haven't you heard of knocking before bursting in?"

"Oh come on." Hughes told him, walking inside and shutting the door behind him. "Is that really the way to welcome a fellow colleague and friend back to work? Where's the love?"

Mustang glared lightly at him. "What do you want Hughes?" He asked him. "In case you didn't notice, I'm kinda busy with work."

Hughes stopped at the desk and shoved some of the paperwork aside so he could lean on it. "Well, I am actually here about something important." He replied, his voice turning serious. "High level of importance as well, so I came here straight away to tell you."

Mustang leaned forward slightly in his chair. "What is it?"

To the General's annoyance, a picture was suddenly shoved in his face.

"Look at her!" Hughes gushed, waving the picture in his hand excitedly. "Can you believe my little Elysia is turning five soon? We're organising a birthday party for her, and of course you're invite—AAAHHHH!"

Lieutenant Hawkeye looked up calmly as the General's office door was blown open and smoke started bellowing out, setting off the fire alarms. The woman sighed and closed her eyes. "When will he learn?" She asked herself.

"Uh-oh." Havoc commented, his cigarette almost falling out his mouth. "Looks like the General isn't so happy to see Colonel Hughes after all."

"I told you that would happen." Fuery said, folding his arms. "I'll bet the Colonel pulled out a picture of his daughter."

The four men round the table all sighed together.

"Oh well." Vato Falman said, standing up. "Guess we'd better go and check on them. I don't think it would look too good if the General murdered Colonel Hughes, since he just got out the hospital and all."

The others agreed and they headed for the office door, where Hawkeye was already standing, having just disabled the fire alarm. As the smoke cleared, they could all see Hughes sitting on the floor with his back pressed against Mustang's desk. He'd taken cover there from the fire blast. Meanwhile, the General was standing up, his chair knocked over behind him, with his hand raised and fingers poised to snap again. His paperwork was a smoking mess all over the place.

"Honestly General." Hawkeye scolded calmly, stepping inside. "It's just as well we had all those papers copied. Now you'll have to go through them all over again."

Mustang's face fell instantly as his anger disintegrated like his paperwork had in the flames. "Again?" He whined.

"Yes, again." Hawkeye walked across the office and pulled one of the windows open to let the smoke out.

"Phew, that was a close one." Hughes commented, looking up over the top of the desk at Roy. "You almost burnt my precious Elysia's picture."

Mustang fumed and went to snap again, when a sudden bucket of water was thrown over him.

"Ack! Hawkeye! What the hell?" He yelled.

"Cool it sir." The First Lieutenant told him, putting the bucket back out on the window sill to collect more rain water. "We don't need you blowing up the whole building."

Mustang glowered at her, then turned his head as he heard snickering. Standing just outside his door, Havoc, Falman, Breda and Fuery were just about ending themselves with laughter.

The General's eyebrow twitched with annoyance, and without a second's thought he grabbed the bucket from the window sill and lobbed it across the room. The four officers all dived for cover as it nearly took their heads off.

"You lot are as bad as Fullmetal!" Mustang scolded them, picking up his chair and sitting down again, in an attempt to regain some of his composure.

"Oh." Hughes popped back up from behind the desk. "Speaking of which, how is the kid? I haven't seen him in a long time."

"Not so much of a kid anymore." Havoc said from the doorway. "He's grown up quite a bit."

"Yeah, he's the same height as Fuery now." Falman added, ruffling Fuery's hair.

"Hey, don't start treating me like I'm small now, just because Ed's the same height as me." Fuery protested.

Breda laughed and nudged Fuery playfully with his elbow. "But you're shorter than us." He pointed out. Havoc and Falman laughed as well.

Hughes looked back at Mustang and Hawkeye. "I heard a lot about what happened on the Promised Day." He said to them. "How Ed finished off that guy who called himself Father, and managed to get Al's body back. But one thing did confuse me. Some people have been saying that Ed got his right arm back as well, while others are saying he still has his auto mail." Hughes looked confused. "So which is it?"

"Both, technically." Mustang replied. "Al used his soul in equivalent exchange to get Fullmetal's arm back, because it was the only way he could save Fullmetal at the time. Then after the battle, Fullmetal transmuted himself and gave up his Gate of Truth to bring Al back."

"Gate of Truth!" Hughes repeated. "Hang on. Doesn't that mean he won't be able to use alchemy anymore?"

Mustang nodded. "Yeah it does. After Al was brought back, Fullmetal couldn't transmute anymore. He did it for Al, but we all could tell that he missed his alchemy."

"Okay… so how is he able to use it now?"

Mustang looked away slightly as he remembered how Ed's alchemy had returned.

"It was his father." Hawkeye told Hughes. "He was a Philosopher Stone himself. After the battle, he was dying, and so he sacrificed the rest of his life force and gave Ed his Gate of Truth."

Hughes scratched his head slightly, struggling to understand everything. "And the arm?"

Mustang and Hawkeye glanced at each other. "That's a touchy subject with Fullmetal." Mustang explained. "Because his father was the stone, he passed on extra powers along with the Gate of Truth to Fullmetal. Whether or not Fullmetal realises that yet or not it still unclear. But because he was getting back more than he had given, it wasn't equivalent exchange."

Hughes raised both eyebrows slightly, then frowned and nodded. "Now I see. So he had to lose his right arm again to make up for the extra power he received." Mustang nodded. "Man, that's rough. Poor kid."

Hawkeye looked down at the General. "Edward should have finished his latest mission by now sir. Haven't you heard anything from him yet?"

"Nope, not a thing." Mustang told her. "Like usual. But even if he wanted to report to me, I doubt he could. Apparently the weather is terrible for storms right now."

"Yeah, and it's drawing in closer." Hawkeye nodded. "It's supposed to start snowing here within the next few days."

"Great. I'll be able to take Elysia sledging!" Hughes chirped.

A vein appeared on Mustang's forehead. He stood up quickly.

"Will you GET OUT!" He screamed.

Hughes just laughed as he dashed for the exit. "Don't forget Elysia's birthday coming up." He said, disappearing before Mustang could throw something heavy at him.

The General sighed and flopped back down into his chair. "I liked him better when he was in a coma." He mumbled to himself.

"So, Edward Elric sir?" Hawkeye asked.

Mustang grumbled and waved a hand tiredly. "Yeah yeah, guess you'd better try contacting him. I want him here with his report before the weather closes in."

"Yes sir." Hawkeye nodded, leaving the office again. "Back to work gentlemen." She told the others, who quickly did as they were told.

As his office door was shut again, Roy sighed and leaned back in his chair. Peace and quiet at last. Unfortunately, he wasn't able to enjoy it though because he was still dripping wet from that bucket of water earlier.

"_God damn that woman."_ He thought irritably as he stood up. _"Always having a bucket to hand."_ He headed through another door from his office, to change into a clean, dry uniform, before returning to his desk to begin tidying up the mess he'd made. He knew Hawkeye would be back with the replacement paperwork all too soon.

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Winry sighed as she hung up the phone and returned to her workshop. Pinako had just called to tell her that she was going to be staying at the patient's home, as the weather was too dangerous to travel back in. That meant she was left in charge of looking after Al, and now Edward, as Winry had told Pinako that the boy had returned.

Normally, looking after Ed wouldn't have been a problem. But since their little talk earlier on, things had been rather awkward between them. Winry didn't know exactly why, but she blamed it on Ed. Why? Because she could.

When Al had come back downstairs about half an hour ago, he had noticed straight away that something had happened. But neither Ed nor Winry were talking when he asked about it. Now Ed was asleep again on the couch and Winry was busy in her workshop.

Den wandered over to Al and sat down at his feet, looking up at the boy as he wagged his tail. "Good boy Den." Al smiled, petting the dog's head.

Suddenly the phone started ringing, and Al rushed over to answer it before it woke his brother up. He was rather surprised at who the caller was.

"Lieutenant Hawkeye?"

"Hi Alphonse, it's been a while." The woman greeted. "How have you been?"

Al smiled. He'd always liked the Lieutenant. Even though she was strict and kinda scary when she was around the General, she was still a kind person, who'd always looked out for not just Al and his brother, but Winry too.

"I've been great. The doctor's are really pleased with my recovery, and they said I should be able to start travelling with Brother again soon."

"That's good to hear." Hawkeye replied. "Now speaking of your brother, where is Ed? Have you heard anything from him lately? I tried phoning Briggs, but the lines seem to be down with the storm."

"Oh." Al commented, rather surprised. "Well Lieutenant, Ed's here actually."

"What?"

Al laughed nervously and turned round. "Yeah he's here. I'm looking at him right now, sleeping on the couch. He just got back a few hours ago."

"But why is he there?" Hawkeye asked. Al stopped laughing. "He's supposed to be heading back to Central to report."

"_God dammit Edward!"_ Al thought irritably. "Sorry Lieutenant. I didn't know that. But brother's really tired from the journey back, and he's sick too. It'll probably be a few days before he's fit to travel again."

The boy heard a sigh on the other end of the phone. "Alright Alphonse. Please tell him that I called and that the General wants him back in Central as soon as possible."

"Yes Lieutenant. I'll do that. Bye." Hawkeye said goodbye and the line clicked as she hung up.

Al sighed as he put the phone back in its cradle, before turning back to look at his brother again. Ed was lying on his front with his auto mail arm hanging over the edge of the couch. He'd thrown the blankets off him onto the floor, and finally seemed to have settled into a more relaxed sleep, not tossing and turning like he had been earlier.

"Brother…" Al mumbled quietly, receiving no answer. The younger Elric sighed again, walking across the floor and picking up Ed's blankets. The last thing he needed was his brother getting a chill. That would just make him worse.

As Al carefully shook the blanket out, he glanced down at the auto mail arm hanging limply from the couch.

Even now, Al still felt a bit of resentment towards their father for what had happened to Ed. He'd just got him right arm back from the gate, after Al transmuted his soul, only to have it taken away from him again within just a few days. Ed had been pretty torn up.

Both boys tried to realise that what their father had done had been for them, but Ed in particular had struggled to accept it.

Of course, being able to use alchemy again had been pretty cool, but to have to lose his right arm all over again for it, when Ed had already accepted that he was no longer an Alchemist… It wasn't fair.

And then of course, Hohenheim had to go and die on them. It had been Pinako who had found him, kneeling in front of Trisha's grave, and the little old lady had been left with the unpleasant task of informing the boys that their father had passed on.

Surprisingly, Al had taken it better than Ed had.

Al cried, feeling lost at the death of the father he'd always wanted, and had just been starting to get to know. He would have liked to have learned more about him, and maybe moved in with him to try and be a family once again, despite their mother no longer being alive. But Al knew his father's circumstances, and therefore accepted that in the end, Hohenheim had deserved peace.

Ed however, didn't fare as well as his younger brother. When they were told, the boys had still been in Central Hospital, recovering after the Promised Day. It had even surprised Mustang when he heard Ed suddenly start sobbing after hearing the news on his father. The boy seemed to be completely destroyed, but never said anything to them when they asked about it. And then twenty-four hours after Hohenheim's death, Ed had suddenly blacked out without warning. An array appeared on the floor beneath him, and after a bright red glow, the boy's steel prosthetic arm had returned, and his real arm was gone again.

When Ed had woken up a few hours later and saw his arm, he'd gone on a ballistic rampage through the hospital, screaming at the top of his lungs and knocking things over. Al had watched on sadly, wishing he could help his brother, but knowing that there was nothing he could do, especially in his weak condition.

In the end, it had been their old teacher, Izumi Curtis, who'd brought Ed back under control. She'd subdued him and then held him close, until Ed fell apart in her arms. Since then, she'd been the only one who was able to speak about Hohenheim to Ed, without the boy either freaking out or breaking down again.

Al was relieved that Ed was able to talk about it to someone. But at the same time he felt a little upset himself at the fact that it wasn't him Ed was confining in. After everything they'd been through together over the years, Al had thought that they'd be able to talk about anything.

The only reason he could think of that would stop Ed from talking to him, was if Ed didn't want Al to know what he was feeling. Al finally had his body back, and Ed probably didn't want to spoil that.

Either way, Al was determined to help his brother, whether he wanted help from him or not.

* * *

**End of first part. Like I said at the start, please review and let me know if I should continue this. But no flames. Thanks x**


	2. Author Note

**Author Note.**

**For the amazing people who read my fanfiction and left reviews, I have some news for you. This will be continued. I'm really sorry that it has taken me so long, but I just wanted to let you know this. I will not leave any story hanging.**

**A lot has been going on lately and I've been stuck for good ideas, but I am now finally working towards the next chapter. I still need some time to write it, because writing can't be rushed, but now I know roughly where I'm going with it. So please wait patiently, and thank you to those who reviewed. I really appreciate it ^_^**

**xx**


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